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. 2023 Feb 28;12(3):387.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens12030387.

Increased HIV Incidence in Wuchereria bancrofti Microfilaria Positive Individuals in Tanzania

Jonathan Mnkai  1 , Manuel Ritter  2 , Lucas Maganga  1 , Leonard Maboko  1   3 , Willyhelmina Olomi  1 , Petra Clowes  1 , Jessica Minich  2 , Agola Eric Lelo  4 , Daniel Kariuki  5 , Alexander Yaw Debrah  6 , Christof Geldmacher  7   8 , Michael Hoelscher  7   8 , Elmar Saathoff  7   8 , Mkunde Chachage  1   9 , Kenneth Pfarr  2   10 , Achim Hoerauf  2   10   11 , Inge Kroidl  7   8
Affiliations

Increased HIV Incidence in Wuchereria bancrofti Microfilaria Positive Individuals in Tanzania

Jonathan Mnkai et al. Pathogens. .

Abstract

Background: Infections with Wuchereria bancrofti are associated with reduced immunity against concomitant infections. Indeed, our previous study described a 2.3-fold increased HIV incidence among individuals with W. bancrofti infection, as measured by the circulating filarial antigen of the adult worm. This new study aimed to retrospectively determine microfilariae status of the participants to assess if the previously described increased HIV susceptibility was associated with the presence of MF in the same cohort.

Methods: CFA positive but HIV negative biobanked human blood samples (n = 350) were analyzed for W. bancrofti MF chitinase using real time PCR.

Results: The PCR provided a positive signal in 12/350 (3.4%) samples. During four years of follow-up (1109 person years (PY)), 22 study participants acquired an HIV infection. In 39 PY of W. bancrofti MF chitinase positive individuals, three new HIV infections occurred (7.8 cases per 100 PY), in contrast to 19 seroconversions in 1070 PY of W. bancrofti MF chitinase negative individuals (1.8 cases per 100 PY, p = 0.014).

Conclusions: In the subgroup of MF-producing Wb-infected individuals, the HIV incidence exceeded the previously described moderate increased risk for HIV seen in all Wb-infected individuals (regardless of MF status) compared with uninfected persons from the same area.

Keywords: HIV; immunomodulation; incidence; lymphatic filariasis; microfilariae.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Optimized W. bancrofti MF chitinase PCR amplification. Base pair (bp); columns 1 and 8: 50 bp DNA ladder; columns 2–4: W. bancrofti (Wb) gDNA samples displaying single amplicons of 150 bp; column 5: Wb microfilariae (MF) chitinase plasmid positive control; column 7: no template control.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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